Conscious exits from the body
In "astral travel" imagination can develop to such an extent that the phantom begins to confuse his own thoughts and fantasies with true understandings. But how can the most exact coincidences of a dream with reality, foreseeing events - to details and circumstances that could not be known in advance or be revealed in a dream, be explained? Many scientists claim that the "second body" travels not through the astral plane, in some otherworldly worlds, but in the back streets, dark corridors of their consciousness.
This kind of out-of-body state is described in many books. One of the most famous authors was R. A. Monroe, a successful American administrator and worldview agnostic. His acquaintance with "out-of-body experience" began in 1958, even before he developed an interest in the occult. In those days, he experimented with memory in dreams, using relaxation and concentration exercises similar to some of the techniques of meditation. Soon after the beginning of such experiments, he developed an extraordinary state when it seemed to him that a beam of light had hit him, causing a short-term paralysis. After repeating this feeling several times, he began to "float" out of the body, and then - to experiment in order to induce and develop this state.
At the beginning of his occult "travels" he discovered the same properties that opened the way for Swedenborg to adventure in the spirit world: passive meditation, a sense of "light", trust and openness to new and strange experiences, all combined with a practical view of the world and lack of any deep mood and Christian experience.
Robert Monroe and how it began:
“Several months passed, vibrations still appeared at times. This has already become boring. But late one evening I was lying in bed, about to fall asleep. The vibrations came, and I, as usual, tired and patiently began to wait for them to end, because I wanted to sleep. One of my hands dangled from the right side of the bed, my fingers slightly touching the carpet on the floor.
Mechanically, I wiggled my fingers and found myself able to scrape them on the floor. Without thinking about whether I could move my fingers during the vibration, I rested their tips on the carpet, and after a moment of resistance they seemed to go through it and touch the floor under the carpet. I became curious, and I put my hand even lower. Fingers went through the floor, and I felt the rough upper surface of the ceiling of the room one floor below. Feeling around, I felt a small triangular chip, a bent nail, and some sawdust.
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Slightly intrigued by this waking dream, I reached even further. She walked through the ceiling of the first floor: it was as if her whole hand had pierced the floor. The palm touched the water. Not at all surprised, I sprinkled water with my fingers.
Then I suddenly became fully aware of the situation. I was perfectly awake and watched the moonlit landscape outside the window. I felt that I was lying on the bed, covered with a blanket, a pillow under my head, and my chest rising and falling in time with my breathing. The vibrations continued, but weaker.
And yet, in some incomprehensible way, my palm splashed in a puddle of water, and my hand, judging by the sensations, seemed to pierce the floor through and through. I, no doubt, was in a state of complete wakefulness, but these sensations were quite real. How could I be awake in all respects and at the same time dream that my hand went through the floor?
The vibrations began to weaken, and for some reason I thought that there was some connection between them and the piercing of the floor with my hand. If they stop before I take my hand out, the floor can close and I lose it. Maybe the vibrations have temporarily made a hole in the floor. Trying to understand what was happening, I figured this and that.
I pulled my hand out of the floor and laid it on the bed. The vibrations soon ceased. I got up, turned on the light, and examined the area next to the bed. There were no holes in the carpet or in the floor, and I did not find any change in them. I began to examine my palm and hand and even tried to see if there was water on my palm. There was no water, and the hand looked absolutely normal. I looked around the room: my wife was sleeping peacefully in bed, everything around was as if in order ….
“At that moment what happened to me seemed to me some kind of absurdity. If only I could know what else is ahead of me! When, weeks later, four vibrations reappeared, I was on the lookout not to move my arm or leg. It was late evening, I was lying in bed, getting ready to sleep. The wife was lying next to her and was already asleep.
Some kind of wave rushed into my head, and then spread throughout my body. It was already familiar to me. While I was thinking how to analyze what was happening in a new way, the thought itself appeared in my mind: it would be nice to take a glider and fly tomorrow after lunch (in those days I was fond of gliding). Without thinking about the consequences, without even suggesting that they might be, I simply imagined the pleasure of flying.
After a moment, I felt something pressing on my shoulder. Surprised, I reached back and up with my hand to feel what it was. The hand bumped into a smooth wall. I ran my hand along the wall as long as it took my hand - the wall was smooth and did not end.
Gathering myself, I began to peer into the twilight with all the strength. It was actually a wall, and I was lying with my shoulder on it. I immediately thought that I fell asleep and fell out of bed. Nothing like this had happened to me before, but if all sorts of strange things began to happen, why shouldn't this happen.
Then I took a closer look. Something was wrong. There were no doors or windows in the wall, and there was no furniture near it. It couldn't have been my bedroom wall. And yet it was something familiar. The understanding came instantly: this is not a wall, this is a ceiling! I floated under the ceiling, bouncing easily with every movement. I rolled over in the air, looked down and shuddered. Below in the twilight I saw a bed and two figures in it. The one on the right was my wife. Someone else was lying nearby. Both seemed to be asleep.
A strange dream, I thought. - Who is this I dreamed in bed with my wife? Looking more closely, I was shocked. That someone was myself!
The ensuing reaction was immediate. I am here and my body is there. I am dying, this is death. I'm not ready to die. These vibrations somehow killed me. Terribly frightened, I, like a diver, rushed down to my body and dived into it. I immediately felt myself in bed, covered with a blanket, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself looking at the room from the very place where I was before ….
“The second time I tried to consciously separate from the body, I succeeded. I took off again to the height of the ceiling. But this time I felt a tremendous power of sexual attraction and could not think about anything but sex. Confused and annoyed at my inability to control this surge of emotion, I returned back to my physical body ….
“Again I floated up - intending to visit Dr. Bradshaw and his wife. Realizing that Dr. Bradshaw was ill and was lying in bed with a cold, I decided to visit him in his bedroom, which, when I was in his house, I had never seen, and if I can then describe it, this will be proof of my visit. … There was again a somersault in the air, a dive into a tunnel and, this time, a feeling of climbing uphill (Dr. and Mrs. Bradshaw live five miles (8 km) from my office in a house on a hill). I am above the trees, above me is a clear sky. For a moment I saw (in the sky?) A rounded human figure, like, in some kind of wide robe and a helmet on his head (there was an impression of something oriental), sitting with folded hands on his knees and, probably, with crossed legs in the manner Buddha; then it disappeared. I don't know the meaning. A little later, the uphill movement became difficult,there was a feeling that the energy was leaving me, and I could not overcome this path.
At the thought of this, something amazing happened. It was exactly as if someone took me under the elbows with their palms and lifted me. I felt a surge of power pulling me upward, and quickly rushed to the top of the hill. Then I bumped into Dr. and Mrs. Bradshaw. They were on the street, and for a moment I was dumbfounded, because I met them before I reached home. This was incomprehensible to me: Dr. Bradshaw must be in bed. Dr. Bradshaw wore a light coat with a hat on his head, his wife wore a dark jacket, everything else was also dark in color. They walked towards me, and I stopped. I thought they were in a good mood. They walked past without noticing me, towards a small building that looked like a garage. Brad trailed behind.
I swam back and forth in front of them, waving my arms and trying unsuccessfully to get their attention. Then I heard that Dr. Bradshaw, without turning his head, said to me: I see you no longer need my help. Deciding that the contact worked, I dived back into the ground (?) Once in my office, returned to the body and opened my eyes. Everything around was unchanged. The vibration hasn't stopped yet, but I felt it was enough for one day."
At first, Monroe “traveled” to familiar places on earth - close, then more distant; after that he began to contact with spirit-like beings, while the first contacts were part of a mediumistic experiment; eventually he began to fall into strange unearthly landscapes.
Monroe was interested in scientific work and allowed scientists to conduct a number of experiments on himself. A number of studies that were carried out in 1965-1966 are of interest. at the University of Virginia School of Medicine on equipment in an electroencephalographic laboratory. It was conducted by Dr. C. T. Tart.
In the experiments, Monroe, connected to various devices to control the physiological functions of his body, was required to induce a "exit from the body." In addition, he was asked, while in this state, to go to the next room and observe the actions of the laboratory assistant who maintains the operation of the instruments, as well as to read the number of five random digits from 0 to 9, placed on a shelf located six feet above the floor. … At the same time, his brain waves were recorded (electroencephalogram), eye movements and heart activity (electrocardiogram).
Only on the eighth evening did Monroe manage to induce two very brief "out of body". At the first exit, Monroe observed several people unknown to him, talking to each other in an unfamiliar place, which made it impossible to check whether it was a "fantasy" or a real perception of the event at a distance. In the second "astral projection", Monroe, in his words, was not able to fully control his movements and therefore could not see the number in the next room. But he correctly reported that the laboratory assistant at his second "exit from the body" was not in the next room, but stood in the corridor with some man (later it turned out that it was her husband). As a parapsychologist, C. T. Tart could not exclude the possibility that the subject's interpretation of a real event was not retroactively rethought.
On the electroencephalogram, these two "astral projections" corresponded to brain waves, defined by specialists as Phase-I. This type of wave is usually characteristic of the sleep state. In addition, the subject had rapid eye movements, which are known to accompany ordinary dreams and are probably the result of looking at imaginary images during a dream, in other words, the eyes, moving quickly, examine a picture that actually exists only in the sleeping brain … Pulse during "out of body" was normal, about 65–70 beats per minute. During "astral projection", the blood pressure might have dropped, but there was no clear drop in blood pressure. Thus, at first glance, it might appear that Monroe's "astral projection" occurred during the first phase of sleep.
Based on the results of the study, Monroe drew some conclusions. Taken together, they show that the out-of-body phenomenon is accompanied by the type of brain activity that is usually characteristic of nighttime dreams, while blood pressure occasionally decreases, but no significant changes in heart rate are observed. The scientist did not record any "mortal trance", called in the old occult literature an obligatory sign of "leaving the body". Outwardly, Monroe's "astral projection" corresponds to the state of an ordinary dream in an ordinary person.
There are among scientists supporters of the fact that the phenomena of going out of the body are real, because it is not possible to attribute their experiences to hallucinations, since the information they gleaned in their "wanderings" is highly reliable.
In a dream, in this still unknown, mysterious, special state of consciousness, many mysterious phenomena occur. Not only are "lucid dreams" or "out-of-body experiences" possible in it. In a dream, people can experience such extraordinary states as creative insight, supersensible perception, foresight of the future, make new discoveries, you can learn something that they have never felt and did not know in a waking state of consciousness. No wonder the people called such dreams "prophetic".
Out-of-body travel
Tibet has been familiar with the technique of "astral travel" since ancient times. Many lamas know this technique perfectly. They say that the art of "astral flight" - during which the soul, our own "I", leaves the physical body and remains connected with earthly life only by a cord, requires a long and patient preparation. After these flights, the lamas remember exactly where they were, what they saw and what they did. They are free after "leaving the body" to fly in the astral worlds the highest regions, called the Land of the Golden Light. According to their words, those who have achieved harmony here in earthly life and there live a moment of new life in love and harmony. After all, contempt and sinfulness cause dissonance, and in the Land of the Golden Light, dissonance is unthinkable.
Practical instructions
Here are some of the teachings from the Tibetan astral travel practice. Use your imagination to visualize a mental image of your body. Imagine your astral form completely identical to your outer forms. Stay focused on your thoughts. Visualize this body floating out of your physical body and then rising into the air. Concentrate your attention on visualizing this picture. Feel yourself out of the body. Direct your thoughts to your "astral body".
Being in the astral world, everything begins to flicker in the eyes, because it is full of life. You will see small specks of light flying around you. Everything will seem to play in the rays of light. You are immersed in sunlight all the time, and everything around you flickers and shines, full of life. All the senses can be possessed on the astral plane. You will be able to hear and see, smell and touch. As long as you are not afraid, nothing will happen. Fear is a waste of energy unnecessarily and slowing down your vibrations to such an extent that you will quickly return to your physical body.
There is an example of going beyond the physical world and describing the feeling of this "astral flight" found in the Tibetan literature:
“The darkness began to fill with a strange bluish light. It’s like I’m floating, planning over my body. And although there was no wind, I was lifted like a puff of smoke. Around my head, I noticed a glowing radiation that looked like a golden halo. From the depths of my body stretched a thread of blue silver, it vibrated as if alive, playing with a lively brilliance. From the side flew snatches of conversation, snatches of phrases, scattered images crossed the field of my mental vision.
Colored drops of light and sparks of amazing colors rushed before my eyes. My astral body hovered and trembled like a leaf in a violent storm. Sharp tongues of fire tore my mind. I felt lonely, abandoned, a wreckage in a raging universe. Then a black fog descended on me and brought comfort. It was not of this world. Gradually the deep twilight cleared away. And I saw a sudden revelation of divinity - a powerful power of golden light; I soared in it, and in the wonderful universal harmony of magical sounds I felt inexpressible joy and a surge of unusual spiritual forces.
After that, the images I saw clouded over and disappeared. Gradually, I began to lose consciousness, both physical and astral. After some more time, an unpleasant sensation touched me, it became cold and uncomfortable. My brain began to work feverishly. And I came to myself."
There are people who have mastered the practice of the Eastern sages and achieved voluntary "out of body". Centuries of experience shows that the appearance of this phenomenon, which manifests itself in an altered state of consciousness, is dangerous for the psyche of people unprepared for such a phenomenon. It is no coincidence that in the natural, ordinary state of consciousness, the manifestation of this X-ability is closed for the vast majority of people. The phenomenon can open to a person either in a state of painful unconsciousness, or it arises suddenly, when the wall between the work of the rational mind and the subconscious will collapses, and suddenly something breaks through the gap, unknown and mysterious. But even this sudden, mysterious state of "out-of-body experience" does not just appear by itself, but is prepared by something that provoked its appearance.
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